Overview
This page features a curated selection of articles, interviews, lectures, and media appearances to which I’ve contributed, either through my writing or by speaking. It doesn’t include everything — just a considered sample of national newspaper features and television appearances.
Recent
Radio conversation on Touché with Friedl' Lesage on care, silence, and moral responsibility VRT Radio 1 - 12 October 2025.
Reflections and viewpoints in words
Articles and opinion pieces I’ve written, published in newspapers, journals, or magazines.
"Pancreatic cancer - the most insidious and deadliest of all cancers"
Het Nieuwsblad – februari 2024
On the severity of pancreatic cancer and the challenges involved in its treatment.
"Top Doctor Baki Topal launches new Pancreatic Cancer Fund"
Het Laatste Nieuws - februari 2020
On the initiative to establish a research fund at KU Leuven dedicated to pancreatic cancer research.
"Today I am a professor - Yesterday, I was still just a brown outcast"
De Morgen - augustus 2016
On personal encounters with racism and discrimination, and a call for greater empathy, respect, and inclusion.
In conversation about what truly matters
Interviews in which I share my perspective on medical care, education, and personal development.
"The government's message to the public is incoherent."
Terzake - VRT (1 december 2021)
Commentary on how the government communicated with the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of clear leadership and the consequences of confusing messages for trust in healthcare.
"Underprivileged youth and tech companies brought together at a technology fair"
VRT Nieuws (18 november 2018)
VRT NWS reported on a technology fair organised by the non-profit PEP!, aimed at connecting underprivileged youth with technology companies. The event offered young people the opportunity to discover innovative technologies and explore career paths in the tech sector.
My involvement in this initiative focused on supporting young people in their search for a future in technology.
Where content and connection meet
In my lectures, I bring young people and their mentors into contact with the themes at the heart of my work: resilience, identity, system pressure, and the power of personal choices. What I write in my book Cutting into the silence and develop in the Zigana model finds its voice — and its face — here.
Within the network of ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir (TADA), I engaged in conversations with young people from diverse backgrounds about what it means to be a doctor. Not a promotional talk, but an honest and curious exploration of healthcare, doubt, and social responsibility.
Always with space for questions, reflection, and connection.
At the invitation of PEP! vzw – Positive Education Psychology – I gave lectures for a young, engaged audience. About people: choosing direction, dealing with vulnerability, and personal growth within structures.
Always followed by open conversations with young people and their parents.
At the invitation of various schools, I speak with secondary school students about self-image, pressure, meaning, and the search for direction. These lectures are closely linked to the themes in my book Cutting into the silence and the Zigana model.
Each session is followed by an open meet-the-speaker moment.
Would you like to invite me as a speaker for your school, organisation, or initiative?
Public visibility begins with substantive credibility
In April 2015, I made my first appearance on the television program Topdokters on VIER, a series that highlights the human and professional side of medical specialists. The episode offered a glimpse into my work as a surgeon and the motivations behind my later focus on growth, healthcare, and system critique.
Below is the official announcement of that episode by Play4:
Interviews and profiles also appeared in national newspapers and magazines such as Het Laatste Nieuws, Het Nieuwsblad, De Morgen, De Standaard, De Tijd, Het Belang van Limburg, Knack en Humo, always centered on themes such as social responsibility, system pressure, and medical leadership.
